Dez Bryant: Full Report From Mom To Talent

The Dallas Cowboys have selected Dez Bryant as their new first round draft choice.

Since being drafted, Bryant has been in the news constantly, and I felt that instead of writing two or three mini-articles about Bryant, I’d do what the writers of Sports Illustrated do and just write a long article about Dez Bryant covering everything.

Let’s get this thing started with:

Dez Bryant Will Be Talked About Whether He Is Good Or Bad

When you think about the Dallas Cowboys, they always have these players that just stand out.

Whether is was the clean-cut life of Roger Staubach aka Captain America and Hollywood Henderson’s personality and antics in the 70s to the flashiness of Deion Sanders and Michael Irvin in the 90s. Dallas has always had guys in the center of attention.

The 2000s were no different. We had Terrell Owens, who made sure everyone had their popcorn ready; Roy Williams, who was just a seismic blow to receivers that came on his side in the early years; and Tony Romo, the undrafted free agent Pro Bowl quarterback that dates Jessica Simpson, Carrie Underwood, and pulls off some of the greatest highlights in the last 10 years of professional football.

Now, as we enter a new decade, Cowboy fans are going to have to prepare for a new set of characters and guys in the limelight.

Dez Bryant is already under a microscope due to his suspension from Oklahoma State, the recent press about his mother; a topic I will address later, and most importantly, he was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys.

I don’t know how it came about. To me, a kid from Texas, the Cowboys are just my team, but because of the “America’s Team” moniker, the press and media focus on them especially, so they are going to be watching Dez Bryant closely because the Cowboys will be watched closely.

Think about how often ESPN would focus on Michael Crabtree last year. After a while, the buzz around him died down because he plays for the 49ers, not a big name team like the Cowboys or the Colts or the Patriots.

The big question is will Dez Bryant be a play-maker or a struggling rookie?

I can just see it now. Men in suits talking about how Dez Bryant’s five touchdown game this past week is the greatest performance by a rookie receiver.

Or I can see them talking about he’s not connecting with Tony Romo, he’s not getting by defenders, and he is looking like a bad draft choice by the Cowboys.

Dallas fans are just going to have to accept that Dez Bryant will be a major topic of conversation. He had headlines during the draft, he’ll have headlines in the NFL.

Also, by presenting Dez Bryant with the jersey number 88 that was Michael Irvin’s, a Hall of Fame receiver, puts even more attention and pressure on this young rookie.

I just wonder if Dez Bryant will bring touchdowns along with the cameras to the Cowboys this upcoming season.

Dez Bryant’s Mother is Irrelevant to His Future as a Cowboy

I’m waking up in the morning, and I check my usual football news websites so that I can find out anything, no matter how insignificant it might be, to ensure that I’m informed.

I look up and I see how this no-name general manager for the Dolphins named Jeff Ireland actually asked if Dez Bryant’s mother was, to keep it PG, a member of the world’s oldest profession at one point.

It struck me funny because I first wondered if he really was the general manager since Bill Parcells is running the show down in Miami.

Regardless of who exactly Jeff Ireland is, Dez Bryant politely skipped that question, but the sports world has kept it a headline, so here is my take:

I’ve read arguments by writers for both sides, and I don’t believe that Ireland meant to maliciously offend or embarrass Dez Bryant, I do think that he should claim temporary stupidity because only an idiot would bring that kind of question out in the open.

For one thing, the question is irrelevant. Unless Dez Bryant was actually helping his mother with some criminal activity, the past stays in the past.

Everyone has skeletons in the closet. Everyone including you and me has something that we have done that would turn us as red as a coke can should the public find out about it.

It’s called being human.

I think that the apology was not mandatory, but in that kind of situation, I would be compelled, personally, to apologize for my lack of sensitivity when it comes to the subject of the woman who gave birth to Dez Bryant.

I applaud Jeff Ireland for apologizing, I chalk up his mistake to being human just like the rest of us. Just don’t do it again.

Don’t ask a question that isn’t related to his speed, hand skills, footwork, motivation, work ethic, or in certain cases, things thatBryanthas done in the past.

What his mother allegedly did and what Bryant does are two separate issues that are not connected by any reasonable means.

End of story.

What The Dez Bryant Selection States?

Okay, now for some real football talk.

Going into the draft, I felt that Dallas should have addressed needs at offensive tackle and safety since the release of both free safety Ken Hamlin and offensive tackle Flozell Adams.

Instead, Dallas decided to trade up from 27 to 24 with New England just before Baltimore and drafted Dez Bryant.

Personally, I didn’t believe we necessarily needed Dez Bryant because while Roy Williams had struggled, I saw him make some very good catches at key moments in the last two games against the Eagles this past season.

I felt that Roy Williams was going to get some more work in and knock out all the kinks and become a legitimate number two guy.

The emergence of Miles Austin was astonishing as well and combine Jason Witten, our regular Pro Bowl tight end, and the three-headed running attack of Choice, Barber, and Jones, and you have got a great offense.

Dallas was second in the league in total offensive yards gained. Granted, they were 14th in points scored, but Dallas could improve on that with better execution in the redzone.

From a team standpoint of needs and depth chart, this looks like a stupid move.

However, the reality is that Dez Bryant is an amazing talent. In 1998, the Cowboys had a chance to draft a very talented wide receiver out of Marshall named Randy Moss.

Moss had grown up a Cowboys fan, wanted to be their guy, and Dallas spurned him in the draft by drafting Greg Ellis instead.

Jerry has no problems with his memory especially since Randy Moss will go to the Hall of Fame one day and in his rookie year, he caught 69 balls for 1313 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Moss got his revenge on Thanksgiving when he and his team, the Vikings, showed up to Dallas, and Moss had three catches.

All three were for touchdowns and over 50 yards each. He finished the day with 163 receiving yards in a 46-36 win for the Vikings.

That was devastating because the Cowboys went 10-6 that year and lost in the playoffs to the Cardinals. Think about how different things would have been if Moss had been paired with Michael Irvin?

Jerry Jones is not about to make the same mistake twice. He’s going to take this young man whose character questions are arguably exaggerated, and Jerry is going to give him a chance to play football for the star.

This move also lights a fire under Roy Williams if he wants to stay a Cowboy. While I agree with many experts that the trade for Roy Williams was a reach, it can still pay dividends if he plays like the wide receiver that Jerry believes he’s capable of playing as.

This also spells the possibility of losing Patrick Crayton or Sam Hurd, two veteran receivers that I had come to cherish during their time here in the Big D.

Hopefully Dallas can keep them all because I’d love to see them win a Super Bowl with Dallas.

Interesting Stat About Dallas and First Round Receivers

The one thing about this move that concerns me is the late draft history Dallas has when it comes to receivers.

In 2000, Dallas traded two first round draft picks to the Seahawks for Joey Galloway whose career stats for Dallas are 151 catches for 2341 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Seattle used those picks on the 2005 MVP Shaun Alexander and wide receiver Koren Robinson.

Then we traded Galloway to Tampa Bay for Keyshawn Johnson, and all I can say is UGH!

Finally, we trade our first, third, and sixth round picks to Detroit for Roy Williams and a seventh round pick.

Those picks drafted Brandon Pettigrew and Derrick Williams, and neither team so far has benefited from those trades.

Dallas hasn’t been very good at trading for real receiver talent, and when you trade draft picks for them, it’s the same as if you drafted them yourself.

Also, Jerry Jones did not draft Michael Irvin. Michael Irvin was the last first round pick of the Landry Era. So, Jerry Jones has done zilch when it comes to drafting first round receivers.

And before you mention how the Ravens were about to draft Dez Bryant, and they are excellent drafters, I’ll remind you that the one position that the Ravens haven’t drafted well is wide receiver.

These past experiences raise eyebrows yet despite the past failings, I like the addition of Dez Bryant. I have to say that it is a gamble that I would take since at the time of the pick, all the really great talent at safety or offensive tackle was off the board.

Dez Bryant Scouting Report

Well, I did some examination of my own, but I also read some scout reports to find out the best way for me to phrase Dez Bryant’s strengths and weaknesses as a receiver.

Dez Bryant is 6′2", weighs about 224, and the unofficial clocking for a 40-yard dash is a 4.52

The lack of great speed questions is Bryant can cause significant separation from the defensive back to make the big catch and run score.

However, Dez Bryant had been out of football for over six months, so he might be slower than he’s used to being.

He’s a high 4.4 at most though. He does not have this tremendous speed, but the thing about Bryant is that he’s an amazing possession receiver. I’ve seen him make some ridiculous catches all over the field.

He’s a tremendous route runner with these beautiful strides and with those soft hands, he’s a tremendous player. He just has a way of getting open. He did it at Oklahoma State, and he can do it in Dallas too.

If he gets good coverage, then he can just fight for the ball. With his size, he should be able to do that easily.

The people of Dallas Cowboys Times stated on their website scout report that in their opinion Dez Bryant has all the talent of a Larry Fitzgerald.

His run after the catch threat is enormous. Just watch the tape of this guy and you see he is a play-maker.

When it comes down to it, it is up to Dez Bryant himself. If he’s dedicated enough, he’ll not only start for the Cowboys, but I can see him having a legendary career in Dallas. In today’s game of passing the football, Dez Bryant could eclipse the receiving records held by Michael Irvin and maybe go on to Canton himself.

It isn’t a guarantee, but nothing in the NFL is a guarantee except come morning, I’m still a Cowboys fan.

Overall, great pick by Dallas. I can’t wait to see what this guy does on the field for the Cowboys.